You Won't Repeat My Mistakes
by kanda-philia
Summary: VincentxTifa When Tifa is left on her own she slowly begins to fall apart and lose herself, but Vincent, having gone through that himself, decides that he won't rest until he can save her. M for later chapters!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hi everybody! I'm back but with a FFVII fic this time. I have become absolutely obsessed with Vincent x Tifa fics as of late but every time I get into a good one I find that like 20 chapters in that it hasn't been updated since like, 2007! D: So I decided I would write my own. This starts at the end of AC. I suck at writing fighting scenes so I apologize in advance, ;~; I will try to post updates every Saturday night/Sunday morning! **

**Rating: M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!**

**Pairing: Vincent x Tifa.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~**

* * *

The entire crew stood motionless, staring at the scene below them in absolute silence. The silence was quickly broken, however, when the sound of the Highwind opening could be heard. The crew, still motionless watched as a flurry of black and chocolate brown descended from the aircraft. Before they could even respond to that they all turned sharply at the sound of tearing leather and the sudden flurry of red before another body descended from the aircraft.

Tifa's body hit the ground with a violent thud; she had dropped from the aircraft with the intentions of fighting Sephiroth herself but was stopped midair as a bullet hit her in the back and went straight through her chest. Her vision began to blur but before it faded away completely she caught a glimpse of Chaos bounding towards her silver-haired nemesis.

"Guys! I think she's waking up!" The ninja all but jumped on her then. But the barmaid was too distracted by the burning ache in her chest to register the ninja's excitement.

"Cloud!" She sat up suddenly, clutching the wound on her chest. The memories of what had transpired before her world went black were rushing back to her in a vicious tidal wave that crushed her entire being.

_The buster sword had broken apart into several pieces as he flew up into the air, eye-level with his foe. "Omnislash!" He had intended to shout but was stopped as a torrid of bullets pelted his back, sending both he and his separated sword back to the ground. But before he could hit the ground, Sephiroth had followed his descent and sent his own sword to stab right through Cloud's neck._

_His body landed in a crumpled heap on the pavement and his Mako-blue eyes were frozen wide open, now dull as they stared up lifelessly into Sephiroth's. He smiled suddenly as his head settled onto somebody's very comfortable lap and green eyes peered down at him._

Fighting back tears Yuffie just shook her head for Tifa, not able to find the courage necessary to tell Tifa that Cloud wasn't coming back. Not ever.


	2. Chapter I

**Author's Note: Hi everybody! This chapter will be longer than the prologue; promise! I will try to post updates every Saturday night/Sunday morning! **

**Rating: M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!**

**Pairing: Vincent x Tifa.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~**

* * *

| [i] |

Aside from going to the bathroom to use the toilet and to vomit Tifa hadn't moved from her bed in the days following Cloud's funeral in the Forgotten City. Nobody had left her bar and home, though Elmyra and Barrett had made the two children their responsibility so that Tifa could rest as long as she needed. Oddly enough she hadn't even cried. All she did was lay in bed and stare at the walls of her room.

Cid and Vincent had even stayed to run the bar in the evenings so that Tifa wouldn't have to deal with any unexpected financial troubles atop her grief. Though her regulars certainly were taken aback to see the vampyric male and the gruff, cursing pilot in the beautiful young barmaid's place. But the two men were able to keep things running pretty smoothly.

Yuffie had been put on Tifa-watch. She had tried to talk to the martial artist quite a few times to no avail so she just hung out in awkward silence to watch that Tifa didn't do anything rash in her anguish. Nanaki joined her, though he stayed curled up at Tifa's feet on the bed in a vain attempt to provide her silent comfort.

It was Denzel, however, after an escape from the supervision of Barrett and Elmyra who managed to stir Tifa from her blank staring at the ceiling. She was disoriented and panicked when Denzel stormed into her room, sobbing heavily and begging for her. He had pretty much followed her lead and stayed in bed as much as his babysitters had allowed him but something broke his inner dam and he needed the maternal comfort Tifa had always provided him.

She sat up and pulled the sobbing boy into her lap, wrapping her arms around him so that she could cry with him. Nanaki and Yuffie's eyes met, both nodding before standing to leave the room so that the two could let everything out in private.

•••

"You're up early," Tifa jumped, startled as she flipped on the light to the kitchen and found Vincent Valentine leaning against the counter with a glass of water in his hand.

"I have to be. I have a house jam packed with people; it would be rude to not make breakfast for everybody!" She gave Vincent a gentle smile before moving to pull open the refrigerator to pull out eggs, milk, bread, and other breakfast essentials.

The tall male watched curiously as she went about preparing a large, delicious breakfast as if everything was totally normal; like Cloud would walk in any second to pour himself some coffee, kiss her on the cheek and tell her that the toast was burning but the pancakes looked fantastic. He could only wonder if she knew that that wasn't going to happen this morning.

She knew it, and she knew it good. But Denzel had woken her up. She couldn't waste her life away dilly-dallying in her bed! She had people that needed her. So it was for them that she would begin to pick her life back up.

Vincent frowned when he was able to get a good look at her when she became absorbed in flipping her pancakes; the legendary Tifa figure had already begun to waste away. She looked thinner and ashen than he remembered her to be. The swell of her hips and bosom were still prominent but her arms and legs looked frail as the stuck out from her plush pink robe.

Tifa sipped at her black coffee and watched as everybody except for Denzel and Vincent dug into their plates. They were all wary of Tifa's sudden enthusiasm but they were all relieved and glad to see her smiling again, even if it was strained. It was better than nothing.

•••

The kids would be going with Barrett and Elmyra to Costa Del Sol and Cid would be going back to Rocket Town to care for his wife who was bound to go into labor any day now and Yuffie to Wutai to do whatever political things she needed to do and Vincent was bound to run and lock himself away for eternity so the house would be pretty empty and a vacation did sound fantastic, but she had decided to stay home to run the bar to try to regain as much normalcy as she possibly could.

Red XIII had stayed behind with Tifa as nobody was comfortable to leave her by herself just yet. He admitted that he wouldn't be much help around the house or in the bar but he would stay to provide her whatever comfort she needed and would do whatever he could to lend her a hand, or in his case, a paw.

But much to her surprise Vincent hadn't left yet. It had been three weeks since the whole ordeal with Sephiroth and his remnants but here he was, sitting at her bar, sipping Red Wine and picking at the bowl of mixed nuts as Tifa cleaned out some dishes. She still hadn't eaten, he noted, and beneath the façade of a revitalized woman he could still see the despair and misery that was now molded to her, the same thing he saw on the rare occasions that he peeked into a mirror.


	3. Chapter II

**Author's Note:** Hi everybody! I actually got a review! o.o So you're being rewarded with an update~ And in response to that review: I'm glad you like it so far! I made Cloud's death so early in the story because (I fuckin' hate him) I wanted this to focus on Tifa and Vincent and that's just the event that brings the two together so it's not a major plot-point! And Vincent will begin to exit his shell…but that won't last too long, I'm sure~

**Also: **

"blah blah blah" = talking.

_blah blah blah_ = thinking.

"**blah blah blah"** = Chaos speaking.

**Rating:** M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!

**Pairing:** Vincent x Tifa.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~

| [ii] |

"Why are you still here?" Vincent looked up from his book and to Tifa curiously.

"I…uhh…I'm sorry!" She squeaked, her face flushing deeply. "That sounded so rude. I mean, I love having you here I was just, uh, wondering why?" _You always leave us to go hide yourself away, so, what's keeping you here now?_

He shrugged and sipped at the smooth red wine the barmaid had given him earlier. "I don't really have anywhere else to go and I thought you could use an extra hand." _You don't have Cloud to help you around here anymore, after all._

"If you don't mind me asking, where have you been the last few years?" She topped off his wine glass before turning back to her grocery list to check it over. She would call her delivery man tomorrow morning, she decided, to have everything ordered. She would get things for the bar as well as some more coffee because Vincent liked to have a mug or two of it every morning. Though, much to her surprise, she'd need to get more cream and sugar because he liked his coffee loaded with as much sweet stuff as possible.

He shrugged and finished off his glass, shaking his head when Tifa moved to refill it. "At the Mansion when I'm not working." He didn't explain any further; he really didn't like his job whatsoever and it was one of the last things he wanted to talk about.

"**Really? I happen to enjoy our work a lot."**

"_Keep quiet, demon." _

"Vincent?" The dark-haired girl waved her hand in front of the gunslinger's face, curious to his sudden zoning out.

He blinked and turned to look at Tifa, the slightest bit of crimson seeping into his cheeks. He hated the damned demon, that was for sure.

"Will you be returning to the mansion any time soon?" Tifa leaned forward to rest her elbows against the bar, still facing Vincent. She suddenly had an idea!

His brow rose and he looked to her interestedly.

"I'd like to go back with you, if that's alright." She started, tapping her finger to her nose. "I should see how Nibelheim's reconstruction has gone." She explained, frowning suddenly._ And maybe to see everything there is to remind me of my relationship with Cloud. For closure, perhaps._

He nodded, silently agreeing to bring her along. He really couldn't say no to her right now for fear that she'd burst out into tears the way she did when she was alone at night and thought that nobody could hear and because she had been allowing him to stay in her home, uninvited as a guest.

"Good, now that that's settled, would you prefer French vanilla coffee creamer or the Bailey's?"

"Vanilla."

•••

Liquor, liquor, mixed nuts, more liquor, coffee, coffee creamer, bags of sugar, wine, ingredients for the bar's mini grille, other random goodies that Vincent liked; Vincent frowned as he finished emptying the grocery bags. Nothing for Tifa, he noted. He had answered the door as his hostess had gone off for a shower and had taken the groceries inside for her. He was going to leave them, knowing that she'd want to put them away herself, but he could hear her crying up in the shower so he decided he'd do it himself. He would have to give her a little gil too, he decided, for all of the food that he knew was ordered for him especially.

Valentine, she had amusingly found, had quite the appetite. She had been sure to order a plethora of meat and sugary foods for him. He had the appetite of a teenage boy; something that she thought was incredibly odd but endearing.

When she came down the stairs and into the kitchen, her hair still dripping from the shower and eyes puffy from her umpteenth breakdown, she found the gunslinger putting the groceries away—while picking from the bag of chocolate-covered cherries—and went to grab the bag from him. "Vincent Valentine!" She scolded him, turning so that the bag was against her chest and away from him. "You are my guest! You shouldn't be putting these away!" She smiled and swiped the bag of cherries from him. "You're going to get a stomach ache if you don't stop eating."

"Yes, mother."

She couldn't even laugh; her eyes went wide as she whipped around quickly to stare at him, her jaws dropping. "Did you just…did you just make a joke?"

Blood heated his cheeks again suddenly and he was thankful for the cloak that kept it hidden from the woman before him. "Tifa, I have a job this weekend." He began, leaning against the counter before grabbing the bag of sugar from her hands to place it in the cabinet that she was struggling to reach, her height, or rather, a lack thereof, a sudden problem for her. "After that I'd like to go to the Manor."

She nodded, still blushing from the proximity Vincent had brought between them as he put the sugar on the high shelf for her.

•••

The bar was closed so, as usual, she and Vincent were there alone to clean and for him, to enjoy some wine and a good book.

Tonight was different, they both noticed quickly, however. Tifa had a sudden tightness in her chest that she couldn't explain. It hit her during the afternoon when she tried to clean out Cloud's old office. She had spent the evening spilling drinks with her trembling hands. Her brooding guest had noticed this but hadn't said anything, not sure what to say.

She had cleaned quickly before refilling Vincent's glass of Grenache, his favorite, before pouring herself a rather large glass of Golden Chocobo**. This caught Vincent's attention, as she never drank more than a glass or two of wine. She had also added a lot more of the Schnapps than the drink usually called for. She downed the glass quickly, making herself another right after.

She was getting herself drunk?

She sat up on the bar, her legs swinging idly while she took shot after shot and drink after drink. She had forgotten that Vincent was even _there_. She didn't feel right and was going to numb it; the numbness that she craved was all she could even think about.

**The Golden Chocobo: post/431442385/golden-chocobo-final-fantasy-cocktail I am obsessed with this website! It's so cool! Drink credit goes to the Drunken Moogle!


	4. Chapter III

**Author's Note:** To Eve, alesana4ever, and That One Person: thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm so happy that you guys are liking the story so far, I will also work on Vincent a bit more, I do agree that he is a bit OOC and I'll do my best to work on that! I just started playing DoC so hopefully that'll help me get into his character a little more.

**Also: **

"blah blah blah" = talking.

_blah blah blah_ = thinking.

"**blah blah blah"** = Chaos speaking.

**Rating:** M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!

**Pairing:** Vincent x Tifa.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~

| [iii] |

Vincent had seen to it—after her fifth drink—that the younger woman got herself to bed for the night. He had carefully laid her on her side in case she was to vomit, a pillow stuffed behind her back and everything.

He sadly understood what she was doing. Before he had locked himself away in the coffin for 30 years he himself had fallen into a violent pattern of drinking. It was only when that failed to help him cope that he decided he needed to disappear, leading him to the coffin.

He was surprised, however, when an hour or so later she had stumbled back to the bar, not noticing him mindlessly cleaning to pass the time, to grab herself an entire bottle of rum and take it back up the stairs with her.

_His office didn't look any different than it had before his death, and that's what was startling, she thought to herself. She had almost expected it to look distinctively different now. But it didn't. It was still a cluttered mess of unorganized paper and stains from his coffee mugs were all over the desk. Tifa took a deep breath and began to shove the papers from the desk and into one of the boxes she had brought with her. _

_She was doing well; she could do this._

_But then she accidently bumped her hand against the mouse to his computer, waking it up. His desktop's wallpaper was a picture from their trip to Costa Del Sol a year back; he was in nothing but a pair of light blue swim trunks with little chocobos on it, Marlene hoisted up on his shoulders, a hand on Denzel's shoulder and his other arm around Tifa. All of them, even Cloud, were smiling brightly._

_She froze, staring at the picture. She was hit suddenly with the scene of Sephiroth impaling his sword through Cloud's neck._

She sat on the edge of her bed, the light streaming in through the window so painfully that she thought that her head was literally going to explode. _Rum was a good choice_, she thought sarcastically, as the smell of puke permeated her senses so sadistically that she thought she'd puke again. Her bed was covered in it and some was even in her hair. First thing first, she would shower.

Walking was hard; the room was spinning and her knees were weak. And with every movement she made she thought she would retch again. But the sight she found in her bathroom mirror was even more likely to cause her to throw up than the movement she made; her hair was a ragged mess of knots and emesis, her skin ashen and her eyes sunken in and unusually dark. It was then that she noticed how prominent her cheekbones were, how gaunt she had grown.

She felt a lump in her throat form but no tears formed, astonishingly. She couldn't cry anymore. She didn't have the energy to cry anymore.

Vincent could smell the rum from downstairs as well as the vomit. He had tried to sleep through the night but he was too preoccupied by the smell and sound of her heaving. He had gotten up from his bed, folding it back into a couch, and made himself coffee rich with creamer and sugar when he heard her soft footsteps and eventually the shower.

He had a tall glass of cold water and some ibuprofen on the counter next to him for Tifa in lieu of her usual black coffee when she came down to the kitchen, hair still soaking wet. She was in a pair of baggy sweatpants that had "Premium Heart" written across her bottom in bubbly cursive and a wife-beater that both hung loosely over her wasted body. She found the ibuprofen and water, taking the pills and chugging the water. She had managed to shower and clean up her room, only requiring one trip to puke into the toilet. She was feeling somewhat better now. Not much, but it was something.

The two sat in an awkward silence at the bar, sipping at their respective drinks.

•••

A few days had passed. Tifa had locked herself in her room again, only moving to use her bathroom and to go to her bedroom door when she heard knocking, opening it only to find a hot mug of black coffee on the floor outside of her room.

It was about midnight when Vincent began to really feel it; no longer able to ignore it. The ache in his upper back was becoming too much for even him to handle. He was light-headed and the demons were whining to be set free. Chaos was hell-bent on it.

Vincent sat up suddenly, stripping so that he was down to his boxers in an attempt to cool himself down since he was unexpectedly so feverish he thought he would vomit.

"**I need to feed."**

The gunslinger didn't respond, instead he focused on taking deep breaths in a futile attempt to block out the pain he felt.

"**You cannot hold me back forever, Vincent."**

He gasped sharply, tears pricking his eyes as he hunched over and puked up blood all over the floor. The pain was more intense than he ever remembered it being.

"**Let me free!"**

Tifa hurried through the house. She hadn't been able to sleep and heard a deep, rugged voice shouting downstairs. She had at first thought it was an intruder, shocked that Vincent hadn't already slayed him. But when she made it to her living room she found Vincent hunched over, his head in-between his knees as he retched blood.

The martial artist felt her own stomach reel at the slick sound of flesh being torn. She watched, unable to look away as black and red demonic wings gashed through the skin of his back, billowing over his body defensively. He stood slowly, turning to face Tifa. She faltered suddenly, taking a step back as the gray-skinned, gold-eyed demon took a step towards her.

"R-Run," Vincent stammered, trying to hold the demon back. This was his fault, he realized solemnly. He knew that Chaos needed to feed but he hadn't gone out hunting, choosing to stay with Tifa every waking moment instead.

Tifa didn't nod, she only turned and fled to her bedroom, shutting and locking the door so that she could find her gloves. But when she was in her room she froze; would she actually fight Chaos? She doubted that she could win. But did she want to live? Perhaps she was better off letting Chaos destroy her. She was broken as it was.

But Chaos never came to kill her. Unbeknownst to her, Vincent had steered him from the house and as far away from civilization as he could to let the demon feed on whatever poor animals were out.

•••

Tifa, after a night of lying in a crumpled heap on the floor crying her eyes out, went downstairs when she heard the sound of the front door opening and then closing. She hurried as fast as she could, only to find the demon's host in his own crumpled heap on his makeshift bed, flat on his stomach with one foot hanging limply from the mattress.

Blood was pooling from the two gashes on his back where the wings had protruded and it seemed as though every inch of his flesh was soaked in blood, both his own and that of the countless victims he devoured during the night.

She rushed to his side, her misery momentarily forgotten as her protective maternal instincts kicked in. "Vincent!" She cried, shoving him roughly in some effort to wake him up. She felt her panic rising when he didn't rouse. But with her hand on his back she was able to feel the rise and fall that indicted that he was breathing and very much alive. With that determined she set to get a basic and some wash clothes as well as a first aid kit to clean him up and patch up his wounds. Her hands, worn after years of combat and labor, trembled wildly while she went through every cloth she owned trying to soak up the blood. She couldn't think of a time that she had ever seen so much blood.


	5. Chapter IV

**Author's Note:** I have started their journey together to Nibelheim! It's not done yet, so I decided to write this chapter to give you guys something while you wait for their journey to begin because I love you guys! 3 This is more of a filler than anything else. The next chapter should be up around January 10th,2014!

**Also: **

"blah blah blah" = talking.

_blah blah blah_ = thinking.

"**blah blah blah"** = Chaos speaking.

**Rating:** M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!

**Pairing:** Vincent x Tifa.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~

| [iv] |

Tifa was absolutely panic-stricken and clueless. She had gotten Vincent all cleaned up and bandaged good and dressed him in a pair of Cloud's baggier sweat pants and one of his own bigger t-shirts. Surprisingly going into Cloud's room to get some his clothes hadn't been triggering for the girl; perhaps it was her panic and worry for the gunslinger that distracted her.

But it had been five days and he hadn't even moved. She knew that she should've called a doctor. But she also knew that Vincent wouldn't have liked that at all. She had already done enough to make him ridiculously uncomfortable. Just the act of cleaning and dressing him she knew was bound to upset him greatly. The act had upset her greatly as well; she had never seen an inch of his skin aside from the upper half of his face. But she had seen _everything_. She had seen the pale alabaster skin that wrapped tightly around the rigid bones and muscles of his incredibly lean yet muscled frame and though she tried to keep him covered and her eyes closed when necessary she had managed an accidental glance at his bottom as well as his—she blushed wildly at the thought.

But most memorably she had seen the damage done to his body by Hojo and battles. She had scars of her own, most notably the vertical scar that Sephiroth had left when he ran his sword over her torso and now that smooth bullet wound that Yazoo had given her recently. But Vincent's scars…it was enough to make her want to bring Hojo back from the dead and torture him like he had Vincent many years ago.

White scars criss-crossed his torso messily, but his arm was the worst. It had deep, wide, purplish scars and the skin seemed paler there, if that was possible. It looked as though it belonged to a zombie. But he was beautiful, she realized as she cleaned him up. Startlingly so. Aside from the scars that marred his skin it was as smooth and unblemished as marble and his hair was unusually soft and the perfect shade of obsidian.

His clothing had been thrown away, shredded to pieces after Chaos' escape they were pretty much useless. His gauntlet and boots had been scrubbed clean of every speck of blood. She had also, with great difficulty, managed to get her mattress down the stairs and into the living room, throwing it on the floor where the couch had been. And with equal difficulty she got Vincent from the couch and onto the mattress. She managed to pull the couch out of the house; the blood had seeped into it so deeply that there was no saving it.

She rested her knuckles against his forehead, relieved to see that he finally cooled down some. He had been so feverish before that she had to dab cold sponges to him regularly.

Vincent had no idea where he was, but he had been there before, he remembered. One other time after Chaos had escaped without his control. He guessed that it was the opening to the Lifestream. This was his guess as he sat with one leg extended before him and the other bent, resting his arm on his knee in a circle with Aeris, Cloud, and Zack.

Aeris had finally been able to speak to Cloud face-to-face, and the first thing she had done, she told Vincent, was get it into his head that her blood was on Sephiroth's hands, not his. There was nothing to forgive, but is he wanted forgiveness, she would give it to him.

Zack introduced himself formerly, mentioning the time he found him in the coffin, and told him how proud he was of Cloud for being a damned good legacy of him!

Cloud had finally been able to see how severe his depression had gotten in the months prior to his death and how much it had affected Tifa and the kids. He felt endlessly guilty for it. He asked Vincent to apologize for him. "And tell her to eat something!" He had chuckled, grinning. "Pretty soon Yuff' won't be able to call her 'Boobs' anymore!"

Aeris smiled and turned to face Vincent. "Vincent," She started, her eyes closing as she took a deep breath. "the Lifestream says that it's time for you to go."

He stood, followed by the other three. "How exactly do I leave?" He murmured, a brow raising as he looked around, seeing no obvious exit.

The Cetra smiled. "I'll take care of it." He shook hands with Cloud and Zack before awkwardly returning a hug to the Cetra.

Aeris closed her eyes and raised her hands into the prayer position. She began to almost glow a soft white and Vincent suddenly felt cold and the world around him went black. His head began to pound and he tried to move and realized that his limbs were aching immensely.

"Vincent?"

His eyelids fluttered open, a barely audible groan passing through his lips as he took in his surroundings. He was on a bed, he felt. And it looked like Tifa's living room. He was back on Gaia.

"Thank Planet! You're finally awake!" Tifa was kneeling next to the mattress, a glass of cold water in one hand and aspirin in the other.

He blinked, staring at her for a moment as the memories of Chaos and the Lifestream came back to him. Chaos had escaped and he had managed to get him off into the woods to feast on random animals and monsters. Then he had woken up with his head in Aeris' lap, asking her if he was dead and in the Lifestream.

He sat up slowly, cringing at the pain that shot through every single nerve in his body. With shaking hands he took the aspirin and water the she offered, sighing with as much relief as he could muster up. He nodded weakly as thanks.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked abruptly, taking Tifa aback.

She shook her head. "Vincent, are you alright? You scared the crap out of me." And here he was, worrying about her safely when he was half-dead.

He nodded, ignoring the pulsating pain in the back of his head. "I saw them." He murmured, his voice cracking a bit. "Aeris, Zack, and," He paused, locking eyes with hers and watching her breath catch, obviously aware of whose name he was about to say, "…Cloud." He finished, gauging for her reaction before continuing.

But before he continued he noticed her. She was in the black leather skirt she had worn during their journey to save the Planet from Meteor and a dark blue tank top that was short to show off her midriff. But now the pink ribbon she wore for Aeris on her arm had a golden ribbon intertwined with it. The gold resembled the color of a Chocobo's feathers and Cloud's spikey hair. She also had a necklace with a Fenrir pendant hanging from it. She also had some of her coloring back and looked healthier.

She nodded, her heart racing while she waited for him to continue.

"Cloud is okay now," He started, not sure exactly what to tell her. "He wanted me to tell you that he's sorry for what he's put you through for the past few months and he really doesn't want anything more than to see you happy. He's at peace now and would like you to be at peace as well." He paused, waiting for her to nod to continue. "And he'd like you to eat. I'm sure we all would."

Her eyes began to water and she lunged forward, her arms wrapping tightly around Vincent. "Thank you Vincent." _And Cloud and Aeris. Thank you guys so much. I love and miss you both._

His body tensed and more pain stabbed through his body at her touch. He awkwardly patted her back, not used to being touched like this. It was that he realized that he was in different clothing and he could feel the gauze and bandages beneath the clothing.

"Did you…?"

Tifa pulled away from him and blushed, nodding. "I'm sorry. I had to. You were drenched in blood."

"Tifa," He felt a lump in his throat and he looked away, absolutely embarrassed and mortified. He noticed that the couch was gone and he saw what appeared to be blood stained in the hardwood floors. "I'm—"

"Vincent, don't start with the apology crap. Now, stay here and relax. I'll go make us some food. You haven't eaten in about five days now."

He nodded, shocked that he had been unconscious for five days. And that she said "us".

•••

She had made chocolate chip pancakes with a homemade strawberry syrup and covered them in lots of powdered sugar. She also had cut up fresh fruit, bacon, sausage, and the world's sweetest coffee ready for Vincent to eat.

She had a plate with a piece of plain toast and a mug of black coffee for herself. All of this she put onto a tray and brought to the living room, hoping to get there in time to beat him from trying to get up to the kitchen for the food. She didn't want him moving unnecessarily.

Vincent, though weak, managed to dig into the food ravenously. Five days of no food hit him harder than the scent of the breakfast had.

Tifa smiled softly, biting into her toast. Vincent was even more pleased to see her eating, even if it was a scant amount.

That bite into the toast released an angry growl from her stomach, causing her to blush to hard she thought that her cheeks were on fire. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been either. Before she could respond Vincent had pushed his plate towards her, silently offering her some of his food.

She reached for a strip of bacon, their hands brushing briefly when Vincent went to do the same. He retracted his hand back quickly as though he had been burned, both embarrassed and to allow her to grab the bacon for herself.

She did, trying to act like she hadn't even noticed their contact. "Your cell-phone had been ringing nonstop."

"Crap," He muttered, remembering the job he had taken for Reeve that he was supposed to be doing. He sighed, running his good hand through his hair. He looked to Tifa, deciding to call Reeve later. He didn't feel like it right this second. "I'd like to start for Nibelheim tomorrow."

She nodded. "Only if you're feeling well enough."


	6. Chapter V

**Author's Note:** Again, thank all you lovely people for the reviews! And for you lovely people not leaving reviews but leaving it, I also appreciate you! 3 To alesana4ever: I am really like DoC so far, but I really suck at shooting games because my shooting accuracy matches that of somebody who is very visually impaired, so, I'm having a little trouble xD But I really like it! To Eve: My favorite FFVII pairings are probably TifaxVincent (obviously lol), AerisxSephiroth, YuffiexVincent, CloudxZack, and TifaxSephiroth! I'm thinking about a AerisxSephiroth fic actually! ;)

And finally, after what feels like forever for me, we're off to Nibelheim!

**Also: **

"blah blah blah" = talking.

_blah blah blah_ = thinking.

"**blah blah blah"** = Chaos speaking.

**Rating:** M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!

**Pairing:** Vincent x Tifa.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~

| [v] |

"How are the kids doing?" Tifa held her cell phone between her ear and her shoulder as she packed her bag. She would be packing light but she made sure she had everything that she could possibly need.

"Marlene is doing better," Elmyra started but then sighed, "Denzel is doing…better, but we're taking him to see a counselor."

"A counselor?" Tifa froze, rather surprised.

"He's not coping with Cloud's death at all. He is isolating himself pretty badly and Barrett and I are all out of ideas."

Tifa gulped, leaning on her dresser. After Sephiroth's pillage across the Planet the demand for mental health care had increased tenfold, however, the whole thing was still pretty "hush hush". It was something you really didn't mention to anybody.

"We're just waiting until we get some gil saved up; his insurance doesn't cover it apparently."

"Text me the counselor's information. I'll take care of it." The martial artist promised, getting up to zipper her bag.

They planned on a visit, Tifa anticipating a pass through Costa Del Sol on their way to Nibelheim. She really wanted to see the kids. She had to tell them that Cloud was watching over them. She missed Cloud a lot but she was starting to get through this, she realized. The message that Vincent had delivered had lifted a huge weight off of her chest.

Vincent had already gone ahead and called the stable nearby, letting them know that he'd be by to grab Crimson, the chocobo he had found injured in the Forgotten City when she was only a baby. He still never discovered why she had been there, alone and injured, but something had compelled him to nurse her back to health and raise her. And because of this she had grown to be a rather loyal, good chocobo. So long as she was given some attention and greens she was very good to Vincent.

He actually had a motorcycle that he would've liked to use for the trip, being that it was much faster and didn't "kweh!" whenever he stopped at night to sleep. Horror-Terror, his bike, was one that he had acquired about a year back. During one of his battles with AVALANCE he had saved a little girl from near death and her father, ever grateful, had repaid him with everything he had; the bike. He had it in storage presently and didn't want to pull it out for fear of reminding Tifa of Fenrir and in turn of Cloud.

"Tell the kids I love them, okay?" Tifa pulled the phone from her ear, hitting the "end" button before slipping the phone into her pocket. She jumped suddenly, her hand clutching her heart as she stared at Vincent who now was leaning against the doorframe that led into her bedroom.

"You're good at startling me, you know that?"

"…"

"Are we leaving now?" She slipped the bag over her shoulders and her gloves onto her hands. She hadn't worn them since the incident, but it felt good having them on. They carried terrible memories but they also made her feel powerful, something she desperately needed now.

Vincent nodded, turning to head out of the room and down the stairs. Tifa frowned. Vincent had been cold and distant again. Well, he had been the entire time, but he had reverted back to his early days in AVALANCE and she couldn't figure out why. It had something to do with the Chaos incident, but she wasn't sure exactly what he was thinking. She never could though. She doubted that anybody could.

She followed him down the stairs and out of the house. The sun was radiating brightly, hitting her parched skin deliciously. But it wasn't too hot; it was even a bit breezy. It was perfectly, she decided.

"We're going to take a chocobo through Midgar and then we'll take a boat to Costa. From there we'll take the chocobo through Coral and then finally to Nibelheim." Vincent explained, walking from Tifa's house and bar and towards the border between Edge and the remains of Midgar, where the stables were located.

"Do you have chocobos?"

"I have a chocobo."

Tifa nodded, picking up that her partner didn't want to make conversation apparently. So she'd stay quiet, for his sake.

•••

Tifa rubbed the black chocobo's neck, feeding her some greens. She smiled to herself. Of course this was Vincent's chocobo; its feathers were black and her eyes were a deep burgundy, not too far off from the color of her owner's. If Vincent was ever reincarnated into a chocobo this would be him.

"How will we both take one chocobo?"

Vincent didn't answer, instead, he saddled her and hopped right up, scooting a bit to the front of the saddle before twisting his torso to face Tifa and had patted the spot on the saddle behind him. He was nervous and on edge, not really happy with the close proximity they were going to share, but the man running the stables confirmed in their conversation earlier that he didn't have any chocobos that were ready for such a long trip. This was the only option he could think of.

Tifa blushed faintly before nodding and hopping up onto the chocobo. She wrapped both arms around her riding partner's waist and leaned forward, resting her head against his back, the cotton of the cloak soft against her skin.

Crimson, at Vincent's swift kick surged forward, carrying both of the fighters off quicker than Tifa imagined possible for a chocobo. But then again, she was Vincent's. So it wasn't too surprising.

•••

They made it to the coast a little after the sun set. They hadn't run into many monsters but Tifa was still exhausted and relieved to be setting up camp for the night. Vincent tied Crimson to a tree and started a fire with some twigs and materia before setting up his sleeping blanket for the night.

Tifa set up her own sleeping blanket before pulling out her food container, picking out a granola bar for herself and a chocolate bar for Vincent who nodded his thanks to her and took it. She still found it odd and amusing that he had such a sweet tooth, but it really was endearing. Thinking about it, there were a lot of little things about him there were totally unexpected but absolutely endearing; he had the diet of a teenaged boy, he loved his sleep was a ferocious blanket hog, and she was pretty sure that he liked video games! He hadn't said anything about it but she had caught him once a week or two ago sitting at the bar playing some game on his cell phone. It was odd for a man as stoic and somber as he was, but it was cute.

"Vincent, what was your childhood like?" She asked suddenly, hoping to make conversation to break the awkward silence that had grown between them.

He looked as though he were about to say something but raised a gold talon to his lips instead, signaling for her to be quiet.

She was about to protest when she could hear it; rustling in the bushes nearby. Before she could even clamber to her feet Vincent was on his, his short barreled gun pointed at the bush as he pulled the trigger, releasing a signal bullet.

There was a _yelp!_ that Tifa recognized to belong to a Sahagin.

Vincent holstered his gun and sat back down on his sleeping bag. "There's more not far from here. I'll stay up and watch out for them while you sleep."

Tifa shook her head, throwing the granola bar's wrapper into their fire. "We can take turns. You'll want to sleep too, I'm sure."

He just nodded, turning so that his back was to her. He had out a long barreled gun now, sitting as though he were an army soldier hidden in a trench waiting for an attack.

"Vincent-"

"You should get some sleep."

Tifa frowned, maneuvering so that she was tucked inside her sleeping bag facing away from him. She didn't know what his problem was, but it was making her feel desolate and alone again and she didn't like him. She wished desperately that he'd just open up to her so she could try to help.

"Dammit, Vincent!" She wriggled free of her sleeping bag and stormed off into the woods. She needed to cry, she had realized. And she really didn't want to do it in front of him.

He had stood to face her, watching her storm off. He didn't really know what to do or say and he did remember his father telling him that when a woman is mad at you don't go chasing after her unless you want your head cut off. He grunted and settled back onto his sleeping mat, keeping an eye on their camp.

He sat on his own. He had been alone for the majority of his life, but right now it was almost suffocating him how alone he was. When he had stayed at Tifa's, even when she was locked away in her room, he had felt somewhat better with his own situation. Having company, though he'd never admit it, felt good sometimes.

The camp was free of monsters throughout the night and he had only heard one other _yelp!_ off in the distance, knowing that Tifa had handled whatever she ran into just fine.

But she wasn't fine, he noticed, when she had returned. He could smell the salty scent that was now mingled with her normal scent. And her eyes were puffy and dulled, like they had been the week or two that followed Cloud's death.

"We should get going to the docks. The boats will be here in an hour or so." Tifa rolled up her sleeping mat, not looking towards Vincent whatsoever. She assembled her bag and had it on her back, used a little magic to put out their campfire and began setting off towards where the docks were, according to her map.

Vincent watched her walk off for a second before scrambling to get his belongings together, securing everything to Crimson and leading her to follow Tifa while he walked beside her. They caught up to her quickly, walking along her in a rather tense, uncomfortable taciturnity.


	7. Chapter VI

**Author's Note:** I'm baaaaaaaaack! And eviler than ever, :) I explained my plans for this fic to my friend and she was like, "omg don't you like Tifa? Why are you being so evil to her?!" xD So that's the only hint I'm giving you for what's to come! (Even though it'll be pretty obvious in this chapter what I'm planning….xD)

And as usual thank you to everybody who reads and bigger thanks to the lovely people who review! :) Also, I promise that Vincent and Tifa will begin to get closer soon. Not this chapter but in the next, definitely!

Warning: some lime in this chapter.

**Also: **

"blah blah blah" = talking.

_blah blah blah_ = thinking.

"**blah blah blah"** = Chaos speaking.

**Rating:** M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!

**Pairing:** Vincent x Tifa.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~

| [vi] |

The boat ride to Costa Del Sol had been pretty uneventful. Tifa had vomited once which Vincent had found to be odd as she didn't suffer from the motion sickness that their ninja friend had. But she continued to pretend Vincent didn't exist and that bothered him even more.

"Tifa!" The woman in question turned to see the familiar little girl bounding to her, arms outstretched and ready for a hug. Tifa dropped down to her knees a little and opened her arms to engulf the girl in the embrace. Denzel soon followed, Tifa holding them both tightly. Perhaps she had just grown so used to having them around all the time and not having them around for the past weeks had taken its toll because holding them right then felt more absolutely right than she ever could have dreamed.

But they were quick to leave her arms, instead, grabbing her hands to yank her forward to show her this and that. When they ditched her to go play on the beach some more she found Barrett and Elmyra, giving them both the bear-like hugs the kids had given her only moments ago.

Vincent hung low in the background like he always did. Elmyra gave him a warm smile and Barrett gave him a firm handshake. He lasted about five minutes before the kids found him, Marlene grabbed onto his gloved hand and dragged him out onto the sandy beach to show him the sand castle she had built.

Though she was still mad at him, Tifa couldn't help but smile warmly when she saw Vincent sitting in the sand, looking both confused and petrified as Marlene and Denzel taught him how to build a sand castle. Like his vampire-like countenance suggested, he was uncomfortable in the sun. But children and playtime made him even more uncomfortable.

And on top of all of that he was still having flashbacks and visions of Chaos and what could have happened to Tifa. He had been utterly irresponsible. On the 24th of every month he would spend the night away from all human life to let Chaos loose to hunt and feed. The 24th marked the night that he had first gone hunting so, for a reason he couldn't fully explain, that had become his hunting night. But the night had come and gone, Vincent never actually leaving Tifa's abode. He couldn't explain that either, why he hadn't left. But he just hadn't wanted to.

And because of that Tifa could have been seriously injured, or worse. Vincent shuddered at the thought. Chaos liked Tifa. He had told Vincent that on more than one occasion. And that's what made him nervous. Chaos had needs that went beyond that of eating and that were even more terrifying to the gunslinger. He had killed many animals and monsters whilst out hunting but he luckily never hurt anything in _that _way.

"Tifaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Marlene's small body crashed into the older woman's muscular legs, arms wrapping around her waist.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Tifa rested her hand on the girl's head, running it through her hair.

"Vincent left!"

"He did?" She raised a brow as an all too familiar ache spread through her chest. She didn't realize that he had been that upset with the silent treatment and now she felt awful. She was mad at him for something that had been a part of his personality and that was just unfair, she realized.

She listened on as Marlene explained how Vincent had just zoned out while the kids were helping him build a sand castle and then he stood and just walked away. Tifa told Barrett that she was going to go for a walk and would be back in time to help Elmyra with dinner.

She had gone everywhere; to the town centre, the shops, the bar, and there was no sign of Vincent. She even checked to see if he had gotten his own room at the Inn.

_She poked her head through the doorway, "Cloud, dinner's rea— huh, Cloud?" She called out softly, her feet padding through the hallway towards the bathroom. No sign of him there either. She checked the living room, the bar, the garage, everywhere. He was gone. _

_But then she saw something on the door to the bar, a piece of paper!_

"_T,_

_Be back later._

_- Cloud Strife"_

Apparently, two weeks later was what he meant by "later". That was the first time he had disappeared. He had been depressed for the months prior to then. She had known it and tried to help but he wouldn't let her in.

"_Cloud!"_ _Tifa dropped the mop and flew to him, crashing into him as her arms wound around him, her head cradled to his chest. "Where have you been?"_

_He didn't answer with words; rather, he used his gloved hand to yank her chin upwards so that his lips could crash into hers. They had been best friends as long as she could remember. And for about as long, she had been in love with him. They had made love before their first battle with Sephiroth, but they had never done it again or even acknowledged any feelings for each other beyond that of good friends._

_So needless to say, she was shocked. But she returned the kiss with great fervor. After all, she dreamed of this countless nights. But unlike her dreams there had been no sparks or fireworks. There was nothing._

"_Where are the kids?" Cloud had asked suddenly, lips traveling violently along her neck as his hands grappled even more violently at her clothing._

"_School, Cloud, what's going on?" She asked breathlessly. Something wasn't right and she knew it._

_He lifted her up then, ignoring her question as her held her up by wrapping her legs around his waist. _

_They had done it then and there, right in one of the cramped booths of Seventh Heaven. She laughed as they laid there afterwards, causing Cloud to raise a brow and blush. "What's so funny?"_

"_That was a little longer than seven minutes in heaven." She was still laughing a bit at the play on words when Cloud laughed then too._

He had been home for a week afterwards and they made love regularly. It wasn't like her dreams but it was still fantastic nonetheless. But he was gone again when the week ended. It was the beginning of what felt like a never-ending pattern. And his visits, the sex too, had become less and less passionate and even good as time went on.

And now Vincent had vanished too. He didn't even leave her a note.

With a sigh of defeat she marched back to the Villa Cloud where they were staying and, trying her hardest not to sulk, helped Elmyra with dinner.

Everybody asked about Vincent and she just said that he had just dropped her off here and was continuing on, all planned, she lied. They ate and Marlene prattled on about this and that while everybody nodded and smiled. Tifa was happy to see her smiling and prattling on; she was much better than when she had last seen her. Denzel seemed to be doing better too, though he was still quiet and distant. After dinner she spoke to him about a counselor and he agreed to see one. They couldn't afford it but seeing as she helped save Gaia twice she was able to get a lot of freebies and surely there wasn't a counselor that'd say no to her.

"You made salted caramel brownies?" Tifa asked in surprise. Elmyra made them at the beginning of every month for Tifa and Yuffie. It was chocolatey and decadent, perfect for them. They both went through "_that_ time of the month" during the first week of every month. Elmyra made a special trip to Wutai and Edge every month to deliver some brownies to the girls. Everybody on the team knew that the two girls went through it at the beginning of the month because that was the time that they all became extra afraid of them.

"Of course," The older woman smiled as she began to cut it up. "It's the fifth of the month. I'm actually late on them. Yuffie is going to kill me."

"I'm late." Tifa blurted out as she suddenly realized she was. She had totally forgotten about it. "Very late." She was suddenly very confused. She had missed her last one completely, she realized. The fighter hadn't even noticed since she had been so depressed.

"Maybe it's just all the stress you've been through. It can play a number on your body, you know."

_Tifa lay in the bed, pulling the blanket up and over her naked body as she tried to blink the tears away. Cloud had come home, had sex with her, and then left again. It hit her as she watched him go that he hadn't loved her. Perhaps as a friend, but not anymore. This whole time he had been using her body to relieve his stress. Not to love her._

That had been about a week before he was killed. That was also a little over two months ago. It was probably stress, she surmised, but now she was nervous.

"Um, Elmyra…" Her hand rested on her stomach as the room began to spin. She wasn't nervous; she was incredibly nervous.

"Tifa," The woman paled, eyes widening. "You don't actually think…?"

And then Tifa's world went black.


	8. Chapter VII

**Author's Note:** I have taken your reviews into consideration and so this chapter should include most of what you guys wished for to happen! :3 As usual thanks for the views and reviews! This chapter will be very long in comparison to the previous! And hopefully just as good if not better!

**Also: **

"blah blah blah" = talking.

_blah blah blah_ = thinking.

"**blah blah blah"** = Chaos speaking.

**Rating:** M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!

**Pairing:** Vincent x Tifa.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~

* * *

| [vii] |

He hadn't drunk this much in a _long_ time. But his entire body ached and he was too furious with himself and absolutely miserable to not drink himself into a coma.

He hadn't stopped running for a single second until the mansion had come into his sight. He was going to lock himself up again, he decided. Chaos needed to be locked away and you know what? So did he. He was the one who jeopardized Tifa's life. And he wouldn't do that to her or anybody again.

He felt bad for ditching her, of course, and especially to the children whom he left without so much as a word in the middle of their playtime but the guilt he felt for putting Tifa's life in danger surpassed any other guilt he felt. It rivaled the guilt he felt to Lucretia and that was terrifying.

His vision was blurry and the Planet was starting to spin beneath his feet. He stumbled less than gracefully down the stairs and into the basement, staggering his way to the coffin.

He felt at peace with the world as the worn red silk that was the interior of the coffin came into view. He lay down and pulled it shut, reveling in the absolute blackness that overtook his vision.

_Nobody else will get hurt because of me now._

"**You can't lock us up again, Vincent."**

_I can and I am. I cannot rid myself of you or die so this is the only solution_. He shut his eyes and let his alcohol-muddied brain go to sleep. Chaos was shouting more adamantly than he could ever recall happening before, but the alcohol he had all but drowned himself in earlier kept Chaos from interfering with his sleep.

•••

_Is that light?_ Vincent couldn't open his eyes just yet; his head hurt too much and he feared what pain such bright lights would add.

But somebody was shouting and that hurt even more than the light ever would. Was it Chaos? It certainly sounded too feminine for him.

"Vincent Valentine!" His eyes flew open when he felt hands grasping at his leather bound chest, yanking violently.

Tifa was looming over him, trying to shake him awake as tears streamed from her eyes. When he began to sit himself up she let go of him and they both locked eyes. He was quick in his movements and reflexes, but he was too dazed to see her hand coming to him and didn't even register her movement until his cheek stung austerely with what he recognized to be a slap.

"T-Tifa," He rasped, looking away from her.

"Cloud left me constantly and I didn't do a goddamned thing about it and I'm done with that. Either you're going to join me again or look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't want anything to do with me and I won't bother you ever again." She muttered through gritted teeth, awaiting his reply.

It had been two weeks since he left her in Del Sol. In that time Elmyra had taken her for proper testing at the local clinic and confirmed that she was in fact pregnant with Cloud's child. She had told Yuffie who promised to see her as soon as possible which made her happy. Nobody other than her and Elmyra knew yet but the emotional support from her best girlfriends was absolutely necessary.

Perhaps it was the new hormones that surged through her but sitting around for two weeks thinking about Vincent's leave had grated on her. She had let Cloud do it to her for so long but always took it. Her relationship with Vincent was much different but she wanted to do something she should have done a long time ago; stand up for herself. She was a woman capable of strength that struck fear into the hearts of the strongest members of SOLDIER so why couldn't she stand up for herself?

Eyes the color of the finest red wine met her own as Vincent stood and stepped from the coffin and stood so that he towered over the shorter girl.

Tifa's heart skipped a beat but she didn't falter, she stood her ground and kept her gaze with his. She was closer than she had ever been to him and he was absolutely intimidating. Intimidating enough to make anybody else run off screaming. But she wasn't leaving until she got an answer.

"I don't want anything to do with you. Now leave me be."

She felt as though she had been slapped now. She hadn't expected that in the least. But what hit her even harder was the look of absolute sadness in his eyes that he was trying desperately to conceal from the younger girl.

He saw her hand coming again but didn't move, deciding he deserved the slap that was coming. But instead her fingers just stroked his cheek idly as she moved closer to him, her arms winding themselves around his chest while she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. "Vincent," She started, her lips unintentionally brushing against the cloak which did not go unnoticed by him. "Let go of all of your guilt. It's absolutely senseless. Don't you see what it did to Cloud? I can't watch you do this to yourself anymore."

His body tensed up at her touch and his body burned. He was disgusted; why would she touch him? Was she trying to get herself tainted? But he couldn't deny how dizzy her touch was making him. He hadn't been touched by another human being in decades like this. His heart was pounding so hard he thought he'd go into cardiac arrest.

But now that she was closer he noticed that her scent had changed subtly since he last saw her. Her hormones were different. Was she…? No, she couldn't be!

"Vincent?" Tifa pulled herself from the man who seemed to have frozen completely. "I'm s-sorry," She stammered, blushing fiercely. She knew better to touch him so freely. He could barely talk to others so she shouldn't have expected him to tolerate such touching.

"Tifa, are you…carrying…?"

Her blush deepened and she looked at the ground. Growing up she had a simple dream that reoccurred every single night: she and Cloud would run a bar and get married and have four kids together. So she should've been thrilled to be carrying his child now. But the thought brought tears to her eyes. Their precious baby would be fatherless. And a constant reminder that she would never see Cloud again. But she nodded, her eyes still not meeting his.

He wasn't sure what to say or even feel. But he watched helplessly as her hand went to her stomach and rested there.

"I can't join you again." He said suddenly as he took a step back so he was closer to his coffin and further from Tifa.

"But you can!" She shouted abruptly, tears pricking her eyes. _Please don't leave me. Not like Cloud._

"Tifa. I put your life in grave danger. How could I ever forgive myself for that?" He rested his hand atop the coffin as he brought his eyes to hers again.

"Vincent Valentine!" She stepped forwards and with her hands against his chest shoved him hard into the wall. "Chaos put my life in danger. And Chaos is not your fault! What is it with you men and blaming things that are beyond your control?!" The barmaid let her tears run as free and wild as they wished while she stepped up to Vincent, facing him head on.

"Nibelheim was burned to the ground. Cloud's mother slaughtered. My own father slaughtered. As I watched on helplessly. Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep thinking 'what if' this and that? I should have been able to prevent all of that! But you know what, Vincent? I realized that I couldn't control any of that, so you shouldn't—"

"I am the reason that Nibelheim burned to the ground, the reason that your parents were slaughtered. I am the reason Sephiroth was born. I am the reason for everything that's happened. So of course you were absolved of your guilt because in all reality it's my guilt to bear." He began to stalk forward, his steps following her own as she stumbled back in fear at the smoldering anger in Vincent's eyes.

She was pressed against a wall now, Vincent dangerously close as he rested his hands on the wall next to her head, trapping her beneath him.

"No, you're not!" She shouted, her hands gripping his wrists tightly in an attempt to get him to move. "You can't control the actions of people around you! Lucretia made her own choices! She decided to foolishly pick Hojo over you! She chose to have Hojo's baby and use the baby for all sorts of sick lab experiments! She did it! Not you! Her and Hojo!" She let go of his wrists and swung her arms back as far as the wall behind her allowed and began punching and hitting at his chest in absolute frustration.

Next to him the woman was rather small in stature. And not much could hurt him physically after the hours he had spent in Hojo's lab. But Holy Planet! Vincent couldn't believe how much power she packed into her tiny fists. It hurt like Hell!

Now he grabbed her wrists to stop the punches. He held them tightly in one hand, not wanting to use his gauntlet for fear of cutting her wrists. "I should have stopped her." He said sternly before letting her go and turning on his heel, walking away from her.

The girl was ready to scream her head off and kick Vincent's right from his shoulders but she stood motionless as Vincent walked away from her. For a moment she swore that she was watching Cloud as he walked out of her bedroom and from her for an indefinite amount of time.

Her knees gave way and she collapsed. She held her head in her hands as sobs began to wrack her body. She couldn't take it anymore. She hated how easy it was for the people she loved to leave her but even more so to watch them beat themselves up over things that weren't their fault. It was literally killing her.

Vincent paused in the doorway, the sound of her crying hurt worse than her punches. But even worse than the crying was the frail whispering that was almost inaudible to even his sensitive ears.

"Don't l-leave me," She whispered, "p-please."

Tifa Lockhart was a strong, independent woman who could thrive on her own. But she didn't want that. She wanted to make everybody else happy and with each day she realized how miserably she failed at that.

Vincent kept his back to her as he began to speak: "Chaos needs to hunt at least once a month so I will leave at the end of every month for that. I'll go prepare a room for you now." He deadpanned, his tone completely flat as he began the flight of stairs to go prepare a spare room so that it was habitable.

•••

"I don't have any food here." Vincent murmured, trying to break the awkward silence.

Tifa nodded, looking around the room her travel partner prepared. It wasn't the nicest but it was definitely cozy and would work for the purposes it served. "I'd like to take a walk around the town," She started, her puffy eyes avoiding his. "we can get some food then."

He nodded, heading towards the doorway. He would leave her be for a while to rest. She had traveled far, was carrying a baby, and had just had a long, intense emotional outburst. She was due for a good nap, he reckoned. And more than anything he just desperately needed to be alone.

He had taken to the bedroom two doors down, assuming Tifa wouldn't like him spending his nights tucked away in the comfort of his coffin. He didn't bother preparing it, preferring to take to it in its dusty, unused state.

With one hand he swiftly undid the buckles that held together his cloak and placed it over one of the bed posts before sitting on the foot of the bed, running a hand through his hair before pinching the bridge of his nose.

What the Hell had he gotten himself into? Perhaps when AVALANCE found him in the coffin originally he should have just stayed put. He should've let them go off and save the world without him.

But what he couldn't figure out and what bothered him the most was why Tifa was so hell-bent to keep him around. She was beautiful, no, more than that; she was absolutely breathtaking. He had seen that today when their bodies were so close it was tantalizing. And she was strong. The subsiding ache in his chest where her fists had connected was proof of that. And she was more caring and loving than anybody he had ever meant. What did she want to do with him? He was repulsive.

He stood and looked in a mirror then, something he seldom did.

His hair was blacker than the darkest night and an unruly, pointy mess. His skin was relatively smooth but so pale that he looked sick, he realized. And he was so thin that he looked frail and weak. He didn't even want to look at what lie beneath all of the leather; it was enough to make any sensible person run screaming.

He pulled the mirror from the wall and set it on the ground facing the wall so he wouldn't have to see himself again.

And now Tifa was pregnant. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. She'd be the world's greatest mother, he knew. But could she handle that? She was only just coming to terms with Cloud's death. And now she would give birth to a baby he imagined she had always wanted without the man she had always wanted. He frowned thinking about that.

•••

"Vincent?" Tifa knocked hesitantly on the door.

"You may enter."

And she did, not so much as actually stepping in the room. Instead she stood in the doorway, watching nervously as the door creaked open.

She wanted to apologize for earlier. But she wasn't sure what to say. So for now, she decided, she'd just try to get things as close to normal as possible. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a walk around the town. I want to see it and we need food and I have to get a few things."

He nodded, keeping his gaze as far away from hers as he possibly could. He dreaded the thought of doing anything with her like now. He was still furious at himself and a bit annoyed with being told how he should feel. But he wasn't sure how to say no to her. The look on her face when she asked him not to leave her would be ingrained in his memory forever, he guessed. It made him sick and that was for two reasons: one, why? He didn't understand why she was so desperate to have him around and two, seeing her in that much pain was unbearable. She was the last person on all of Gaia to deserve such sadness and heartbreak.

He stood but didn't move any closer to her.

"Shall we go?" She asked, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket.

He said nothing but picked up his cloak and placed it over his shoulders and buckled it properly before following Tifa out of the room and out of the mansion.

Nibelheim didn't look much different than it did before Sephiroth, Tifa noticed. It made her happy to see how good the reconstruction had gone. It was funny, she thought, as they passed where her childhood home _was_. What had remained of it had been torn down and a shop specializing in martial arts supplies had been built in its place.

They made it to the town centre quickly and in a very awkward and unnerving silence. Tifa peeked at Vincent and saw that, even with the cloak, he looked both angry and annoyed. That hurt.

Vincent watched wordlessly while Tifa shopped. She purchased a lot of food, most of which he knew was for him and grabbed some prenatal vitamins from the pharmacy. Luckily his famous red cloak had kept the blush that formed hidden from view when the pharmacist had given him a wink that said, "Congrats!" when his travel mate picked up her prenatal vitamins.

"Is there anything you need to get? Because I'd like to head back soon." Tifa was absolutely winded. Being pregnant was a lot more work than she ever could have imagined.

The man next to her didn't respond but turned on his heel to head in the direction in which they had come. But before he actually started walking he turned back to face Tifa, taking all of the bags from her hands. He was _not_ happy about this situation but it was absolutely rude to let a woman, especially a pregnant woman, carry so many bags. And they were pretty heavy.

"T-Thank you," She blushed. Normally she'd have fussed and held onto a few of the bags but she was too exhausted to protest his politeness.

•••

"Vincent?" With the grace of a skilled waitress Tifa managed to balance a buffet of food on her arm and knocked on the door to his bedroom.

She hadn't heard any movement or footsteps so it startled her a bit when his door opened; startled her enough to jump, trip over the rug in the hallway, and start to fall backwards.

But before her back and the plates could hit the ground she found herself suspended in the air. Her face heated with the intensity of a Fire 3 spell when she realized that Vincent was leaning forward and over her with one arm wrapped securely around her waist. His gauntlet brushed against the exposed skin of her midriff and the feel of the cool metal against her flesh sent shivers up her spine. He had his other arm extended, she noticed, with all of the plates settled neatly atop it.

Neither said a word as Vincent straightened himself upright, standing Tifa back up. He turned his back to her and settled the plates on the foot of his bed, taking in the sight. As usual she had made enough food to feed the entire town of Nibelheim, or in this case, Vincent. It all looked and smelled delicious.

"There's more food all cooked and packaged for you in the kitchen."

"…"

"It should last you a week or two."

Vincent looked up at her then, raising a brow. Something was off.

"I'll go stay with Barret, Elmyra and the kids." She started, twirling a piece of her hair idly and keeping her eyes low. She felt her heart breaking again as she spoke. The look in Vincent's eyes while they were shopping made her realize that maybe he had meant it when he said he wanted nothing to do with her.

"…"

"You're always more than welcome to come visit if you're in Edge but I'll leave you alone now." A lump was forming in her throat now and her voice was thick. Vincent could smell the salty scent that came with the tears spilling down her cheeks. She moved towards him and finally looked up to meet his confused gaze. "I hope you think about everything I t-told you," _Crap!_ Her voice was quivering now. She needed to leave as soon as possible before she completely broke down in front of him again. "earlier. I meant all of it. You've no reason to carry so much guilt and you deserve endless happiness. I hope you can find it." She leaned onto her toes and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"**If you let her leave you'll regret it. And then I'll be forced to listen to even more of your self-deprecating whining."**

Chaos was, to Vincent's utter shock, right. He would regret it.

He hated being alone all of the time. But he was alone all of the time as punishment to himself for his past failures. All of AVALANCE had tried talking to him, tried befriending him, but it was Tifa that cared the most. She loved him the way she loved Yuffie and Barret and Red XIII and the rest of the gang. She was the first person to ever hold him near and dear. He didn't deserve it but he'd be lying if he said that it wasn't an amazing feeling that somewhere in his subconscious was craved.

Tifa turned then, her long hair swaying as she began to walk to the door. The older male's cheek burned where her lips had been and before he could even register what he was doing his arm had shot out, his fingers wrapping around her thin wrist, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"If you truly wish to leave then you may go," He tugged on her wrist lightly so that she was facing him again. "but I'd," He paused; _I want you here more than anything Tifa. When you're with me it feels like some of the weight is lifted right off of my shoulders. _

Tifa smiled then. Before he could figure out what to say she stepped up onto her toes again and placed another kiss on his chilled cheek, her lips lingering for a moment longer than they had before.

His cheek burned and he felt something he hadn't felt in a _long_ time.

"I know you're not a talker, but I hope you can feel comfortable coming to me to tell me when you're upset and why so I can try to help you through it. I'm your friend, Vincent."

_Friends don't put each other's lives in grave danger._

"**I think she's forgiven you already, boy. All your guilt whining is doing is giving me a headache."**

_Oh, I'm sorry. I'd hate to be causing you a headache._

"Vincent?"

He blinked and looked back down at her. "Chaos and I talk to each other." He undeniably did not want to explain any of this to Tifa but he did owe her an explanation. And while this wasn't what she was referring to when she offered to help him through whatever discord he had he knew it'd make her happy that he was talking to her.

"Is that what happens when you zone out sometimes?"

"Yes. Chaos' favorite hobby is irritating me."

Tifa giggled, earning a brow raise from her male counterpart. "I just pictured Chaos prattling on like Marlene does and it's kind of a funny picture."

"**I'm starting to like this woman a lot less."**

He smirked at that. "He also requires to be fed regularly. On the 24th of every month I go out somewhere free of all human life to let Chaos loose to hunt on whatever animals and monsters are out. If I don't do that he will break free and go after anyone in his path." He gulped then, the guilt washing over him in a violent wave again. "You have my deepest apologies, Tifa. I ignored his needs and because of that you had to see something I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to see and more so I jeopardized your safety."

"I would love to forgive you for all of that, but I can't."

He nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to."

"Let me finish." She moved around him to sit on his bed and pull one of the plates of food into her lap. "I can't forgive you because there's nothing to forgive. I don't know how hard it is to contain Chaos but you managed to steer him away from me. I should be thanking you." She speared a piece of asparagus onto her fork and ate it. "You had me worried sick though, Vincent." She whispered, her eyes lowering once more. "When I found you in the morning…there was _so_ much blood. I couldn't even imagine the agony you went through. I thought I'd lose you."

Vincent sat on the bed and grabbed a plate himself. He chewed on one of the dinner rolls before looking up to her again. He wasn't sure what to say to all of that. "How are you, Tifa?" He asked out of the blue. She had been to Hell and back; raising two kids that weren't hers, practically by herself, being in love with somebody that left her alone rather often, running a bar alone, the love of her life dying, and now she was pregnant? She had a lot more on her plate than she deserved.

"I'm…I'm okay." She looked up at him and gave him a gentle smile. "I'm coming to terms with things, I think. I miss Cloud a lot but I'm sure he's much happier in the Lifestream where he can be with Aeris and Zack. And this…err, baby. I'm starting to wrap my head around it. It hurts knowing that the baby's father is gone for good, but I've always wanted children of my own and I know that Cloud will be watching over us." For what felt like the hundredth time that day, she blushed. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Tifa?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

She grinned from ear to ear and shifted herself so that she could rest her head against his shoulder. When he tensed up she was about to apologize for going past his bubble and run from the room and hide forever but didn't when she realized that he made no attempt to move away from her.

They sat like that for a few more hours; Tifa snuggled into Vincent while he wolfed down the meal and listened to Tifa blather on like Marlene about this and that until she fell asleep. And when she did he carefully picked her up bridal style and carried her down the hall and into her room.

He went back to his room and for the first time in perhaps all of his life he slept through the night completely free of any nightmares.


	9. Chapter VIII

**Author's Note:** I have good news for all of my readers! This chapter is going to be filled with lots of good stuff! ^-^ I love Tifa and have tortured her enough for now. So things are going to get better for Tifa! (But for how long…? *laughs maniacally*) Also, WARNING: tiny hint of lime in this chapter!

**Also: **

"blah blah blah" = talking.

_blah blah blah_ = thinking.

"**blah blah blah"** = Chaos speaking.

**Rating:** M for violence, language, and some lemony goodness in later chapters! Also; character death!

**Pairing:** Vincent x Tifa.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FFVII or any of its characters~

* * *

| [viii] |

Tifa stood naked in front of the full-sized mirror, observing her changing body. She remembered the health class she had been required to take in school and what they had taught about women going through pregnancy but seeing it in herself was actually pretty amazing.

She had gained back all of the weight from her grieving period but, much to her delight, she gained it in all the right spots so her renowned figure was back. Not only was it back though, it was better than ever! Her stomach had protruded the tiniest bit and it seemed as though her breasts had grown quite a bit already. And on top of that her hair and nails were the nicest they had ever been. She was sixteen weeks along, according to the doctor she saw in town.

She peeked out of the tiny window and saw that the Sun was shining brightly outside and it was with that that she decided to wear a pair of denim shorts and one of her many midriff-exposing tank tops.

The scent of something cooking hit her and it all but dragged her from the bathroom and down the stairs to the kitchen where she found Vincent putting together the food he had just cooked.

She sat at the table eagerly awaiting her meal. Vincent carried plates to the table and set them in front of her. He had made a lean roast beef sandwich and provided sides of baby carrots, an orange, some Greek yogurt with honey, and a spinach salad. He had been skimming through the mansion's library one day and in the health section he had found a book on pregnancy dieting. He had found that in her second trimester iron, calcium, vitamin D, and fiber were very important so for the next ten weeks whenever he cooked he'd only make food rich in those nutrients.

"Vincent Valentine," She gave him a serious look after eating half of her sandwich. "I have reviewed your application and resume and I have come to the decision that the job for 'Lead Cook at Seventh Heaven Bar & Grille' is all yours! Or the position for Tifa Lockhart's Personal Chef. Whichever you'd prefer." She giggled then, sipping at the papaya smoothie he had given her.

When he only responded with a raise of his brow she grinned then. "You're seriously an awesome cook. If you keep cooking for me I'll end up even fatter than that Boundfat we fought in the Valley!" She giggled and then gasped, suddenly remembering her morning bathroom observations. "Vincent!" She stood suddenly and turned so that Vincent could see her profile. She rested her hand on her stomach and smiled warmly. "Look! The baby bump is getting so big!" Her belly had been swelling much more subtly than normal, the doctor had told her, but that meant that the baby was just on the smaller sign and it probably didn't mean anything.

Vincent did look at her. He saw that a bump had grown, yes, but he noticed a lot more. Like how she was practically radiating, and how her hair looked even shinier and softer than before, but most of all he noticed that the swell of her bosom and hips had grown. The infamous Tifa Lockhart body had grown even more enticing.

He pulled his eyes away, blushing in his head at the lewd thoughts. "You're right." He answered softly, looking down into his coffee mug.

Tifa pouted. She wasn't sure what she had wanted or expected him to say but it certainly wasn't that. She sat and started on the salad.

Vincent swore he felt his mother smacking the back of his head and lecturing him on what was proper to say to women and what wasn't. "You're right about the bump," He decided to add to his original response in the hopes of getting that pout off of her face. "but you still look wonderful, Tifa."

The woman's heart fluttered at that. She looked up and winked at him. "You don't look half bad yourself!" She giggled and blushed faintly, surprised that she had just said that. She thought that Vincent was ethereally beautiful, even otherworldly handsome. But she would absolutely die of embarrassment if he knew that she thought that way.

Vincent blushed faintly as well. He knew that she was only fooling around with that compliment because he doubted that anybody would ever see him as even mildly good-looking, but the comment still made his own heart flutter.

"**I think my boy has, oh, what do you humans call them? Crushes! That's it. I think my boy has a crush."**

He was quick to deny it and to tell the demon to keep quiet but now he wondered; did he have feelings for Tifa? It was pretty obvious that he did, but he'd have to put them to rest as soon as he figured out how to. Last time he had feelings for a woman he was shot and then experimented on and turned into a demon. And on top of that Tifa was everything he wasn't; absolutely beautiful, sweet, strong, and deserving of everything good that the Planet could offer. Why would she want anything to do with him?

"I know we're heading back tomorrow, so, do you think we can go walk around the town a little tonight? I thought it'd be fun to give you a proper tour of Nibelheim!"

He nodded, finishing off his coffee. He actually had something he had wanted to show her anyways.

Nibelheim had been burned to the ground in the year 0002 if Vincent's memory served him well. After that Shinra immediately had the town rebuilt with fake citizens in an attempt to cover up what had actually happened. After Sephiroth's defeat the town had slowly been rebuilt again but with actual citizens inhabiting it this time. It was much different than it had been during her childhood but she seemed so excited that he didn't say anything.

•••

"And then my father had heard the rumors from our neighbors that it was all his fault that I had gotten hurt so he forbid Cloud from associating with me whatsoever anymore. I remember how scared and angry Cloud had looked when my father was shouting at him!" She chuckled sadly, the memories of her life before Sephiroth and AVALANCE bittersweet.

He nodded, looking down the trail that Tifa was looking down. It was the trail that led to Mt. Nibel.

"It was pretty stupid of me to think my mother was off hiding in the mountains, huh?"

"You were only a child." He commented, looking back down at her.

She smiled softly at that. "So, you have spent the whole day learning all about my childhood…"

"I have."

"So what about yours?"

"Come," He turned and began to walk towards the centre of the town. "I've something to show you. I'll answer your questions as we walk."

She nodded and followed, curious as to where they were going. But not enough to forget her questions. "Where are you from, anyways?" He didn't look like any one nationality so she had never been able to tell.

"I was born in Wutai and lived there until my father moved us to Midgar for his work when I was about twelve." He explained, passing through a few markets and vendors.

"You're Wutainese?"

"_Shì de_."

"Really? I never would have guessed!"

"Really." They were getting close to his destination and he was growing increasingly nervous. How would Tifa take this surprise? He thought she'd be happy about it, but what if it only hurt her? "My mother was Wutainese but my father was Mideelian. I've been told that I look more like him."

Tifa was about to comment and presumably ask a million more questions but Vincent gestured to the park they were about to enter.

"This is Nibel Park, a nature reserve meant to honor the Planet as an apology for the incident and its cover-up from Shinra." Vincent explained, staying behind a few steps to allow Tifa to explore.

"This is so beautiful! I didn't know that Shinra was even capable of creating something so beautiful and pure."

"There's something I think you should see." Vincent headed for the Eastern part of the Park where there was a meticulously designed garden of white and yellow tiger lilies, nearly identical to the ones found in Aeris' church.

She walked the stone trail through the garden until she was met with a large pond. She froze instantly.

In the middle of the pond was a bronze statue of the one and only Cloud Strife on a pedestal with a plaque that read:

"_In loving memory of a hero,  
whose legacy as savior of our Planet,  
will never be forgotten.  
08/19/1986-09/12/0009"_

Tears fell from her eyes and streaked down her cheeks as she looked up at the statue. It did look just like Cloud. They got the spikes of his hair just right. She felt as though somebody's fist was squeezing her heart.

"Cloud's only ever had one dream," She turned so that she was facing Vincent. "and that was to be some great hero." She started to walk away from the statue and back to the gunslinger. "I hope he can see this memorial from the Lifestream. He's always been my hero and he's the Planet's hero but I don't think he ever realized it. If he wasn't a hero why would they build such a memorial in his memory?" She looked up to the sky then. _See, Cloud? You're a hero. Just like you always dreamed._

"From what I've gathered Shinra had this memorial put up about a month and a half ago at the demand of the people of Nibelheim."

She grinned wide and moved closer to the man before her and wrapped her arms around his chest, nestling her head against it. "Thank you for showing me this."

He tensed up like he always did but this time he awkwardly tried to reciprocate the hug, his arms fell around her shoulders loosely and only as awkwardly as Vincent Valentine could hug.

•••

Tifa had called Shera to tell her the news of her pregnancy when she had found out about it. She hadn't been ready to tell anybody about it yet, but seeing as Shera was due any day now, she would be able to help Tifa with her own pregnancy.

When she mentioned that she and Vincent were planning to return to Edge in a few weeks Shera had scolded her for thinking about doing such extensive traveling now that she was carrying. She immediately told her that she'd get Cid to come pick her up when they were ready to go.

So the morning following their evening at the Park, right when Tifa finished the breakfast Vincent had cooked her, the Shera had landed on the outskirts of Nibelheim to pick them up and drop them off in Edge.

Cid had sent his most trusted crew members to handle the trip because Shera wasn't comfortable flying and the uncouth pilot refused to leave her alone for a second in case she went into labor.

Tifa had spent the flight talking to Vincent and to Cid's crew. Vincent observed her silently and was pleased with what he noticed; she was practically radiating happiness. He could tell that some part of her was still saddened, but it seems as though she had gotten through the worst of it.

•••

"That was Yuffs' on the phone," The barmaid explained as she stepped into the living room where Vincent was sitting on the new couch. When he had left her in Del Sol, before putting himself to rest in the coffin he had actually gotten ahold of a home décor specialist and had the nicest, most expensive couch they had delivered to her home to replace the one he had soiled.

He looked up from his book and groaned inwardly. The ninja was a great girl but she was Gods awful annoying and seemed to always give him headaches instantaneously when she was around.

"She's gone ahead and named the baby for me." She rolled her eyes, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"…"

"Its name will be Yuffie Jr. She's certain it'll be a girl so that's the only perfect name."

His lips twitched a bit, his subtle version of a smile. "Have you thought of any names?"

She shrugged. "It's still early so I haven't thought about it extensively. If it's a girl she'll definitely be an Aeris though. That's an easy one. But if it's a boy…? I'm not sure. Maybe Brian after my father or…" She paused. "Cloud. I haven't decided."

"Well you have plenty of time."

"That's right. Oh, and I talked to Elmyra today too. She has vast plans for turning Cloud's office into a nursery. She has recruited you and Barret to help with the labor."

"When did you want to start on that?"

"I'm not sure but pretty soon, I think. It'll take a while to get it all set up and I want it to be ready when I bring the baby home."

He nodded, suddenly struck with an idea. "If you'd write up a list of the basics you want for the nursery, as in colors and the like, I'd like to start drafting out ideas and such. Consider it your early baby shower gift." A bit of red crept into his cheeks and he looked away from her, hoping the blush would go unnoticed. He had begun to wear his cloak and leather bindings less and less frequently to dress more comfortably. It also allowed him to go out in public without being stared at as much.

Like today, for example, he wore a pair of black slacks and a deep crimson button-up shirt. He almost felt naked without the restricting leather and the cloak that concealed most of him, but he was growing used to it.

Tifa herself blushed and looked away. "Vincent, I appreciate it but you don't have to do that. It's way too much."

"I'm sure Elmyra wouldn't let me do all of it on my own anyways." He shrugged and found the courage to look back up at Tifa, surprised to find that she was also blushing.

When she looked back to him and found him looking at her her blush only deepened. She crept carefully from the arm of the couch so that she was on the couch itself, awfully close to her roommate.

"Vincent?"

"…" His heart was beating so hard and fast he thought he'd faint on the spot. He didn't know what she was doing, leaning so close to him and slouching forward the slightest bit so that when he looked down at her he was forced to see the cleavage her tiny little shirt exposed.

"Kiss me." Lately Tifa had begun to understand why the second trimester of pregnancy was often referred to as the "Honeymoon trimester"; her hormones were driving her crazy. She had enjoyed making love a lot, but she wasn't ever overly sexually charged that she _needed_ it. But right now, she did. Normally she'd just go take a shower and take care of it herself, but she was afraid to. She didn't know the extent of Vincent's superhuman senses and she'd die for sure if he heard her or something.

Vincent was beyond bewildered. He felt a shiver shoot up his spine and a warmth in the lowest part of his belly at the demand that was only worsened by the way she was looking at him through her long lashes, biting her lip, and still slouched enough that her cleavage took up about 75% of his visage. But the demand also brought a tornado of questions to surge through his head. Why did she want him to do that? What did she want with him? Could he even kiss a woman that he hadn't formally dated? His mother had been strict with etiquette and manners growing up, so he didn't know that the people in Tifa's generation weren't nearly as strict with these rules. What about Cloud? What about Lucretia? Did Tifa have feelings for him?

His thoughts were brought to a screeching halt, however, when Tifa decided she couldn't wait for him to get through his inner turmoil and leaned up to brush her lips against his.

His mind was completely clear now for instincts, pent up needs, and irrational behavior to take over. When her lips brushed against his he lost all control. He pushed his lips into hers hard, taking Tifa by surprise.

But she was ready for it. Her arms rested over his shoulders and she pressed her body into his, her breasts against his firm chest. She gasped when his nipped at her plump bottom lip and he used the opening to slip his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers.

She moaned as their tongues partook in a heated yet elegant dance.

Keeping his mouth to hers Vincent pulled the gauntlet from his hand, afraid of accidentally cutting Tifa's smooth skin with the talons. He left the black glove that he wore beneath the gauntlet on, however. His hands found solace in her hips. The skin of her sides was hot against his gloveless hand and he could even feel the heat a bit through the glove on his other hand.

The martial artist's back arched a bit at his touch, pushing her breasts into his chest even more. Heat was pooling like a hot spring in Mideel in her core and she needed more of his touch. Careful not to break their kiss she moved so that Vincent's back was pressing into the couch and she was straddling his lithe hips.

She could feel his desire against her inner thigh and it only fueled the fire in her core like gasoline. And when his hands slid down her hips and to her thighs, moving sensuously from her outer thighs to the inner—where he came teasingly close to the source of her need—she lost the little control she had left.

Her mouth left his and began to work its way along his jaw and down his neck to suckle and nip at the junction where his neck met his shoulder. He sighed contentedly at the feeling and his hands reciprocated by moving around her hips to her bottom, giving one of her cheeks a good squeeze before pulling her so that her core was closer to his.

The scent of her arousal almost brought Vincent to the point of salivating. It was overwhelming his superhuman ability to smell. And everywhere her hands and lips roamed felt as though they had been scorched. He hadn't felt such need in decades. And when her hips twitched, pushing herself against his own arousal more, he to do everything in his power to not just push her down onto her back, rip her clothing off, and fuck her until she couldn't see straight.

But when her hands found their way to the belt that held his trousers up and she moaned his name against his skin, his hand grabbed hers, stopping her. She looked up at him, confused, and then blushed furiously as she realized what had just happened. She scrambled off of his lap as if she had been struck, falling and landing on the floor on her bottom.

"Tifa," Vincent's voice was breathless and Tifa felt her own breath hitch. "We can't." He was panting, dizzy and out of breath.

"I'm s-so sorry!" She pulled herself up, stumbling back so that she was as far from him as she could be. "I don't k-know what c-c-came over me!" All heat had left her body and now she felt cold. She couldn't believe she did what she just did. Especially to Vincent. She knew what kind of emotional baggage he had with Lucretia and she still pushed herself onto him like it. And she wasn't the type of girl to do something like this. She hadn't even been that way with Cloud. Her hormones were getting bad and seeing Vincent on the couch reading in a button-up shirt that mimicked the color of his eyes with the sleeves lazily rolled up to his elbows with his smooth, unruly onyx hair spilling over his shoulders her body had gone into auto-pilot or something.

He stood from the couch and began to step towards her. "Tifa, I apologize for…encouraging that."

He was rather close to her and she flinched when his hand rose close to her face. He had intended to let his fingers mindlessly trace over her jaw or something but he let his hand drop back down when she flinched.

"You're…you're going to leave me now, aren't you?" She felt as though she had just been punched in the gut when she realized that he was probably going to flee now to hate her from a distance. She had broken down the barriers he had worked so hard to build. And he probably thought that she was dirty or something.

He nodded, looking down. "For tonight, yes. I'll be back sometime tomorrow so we can discuss your ideas for the nursery."

"Vincent, I'm sorry." She felt tears starting to well up in her eyes but she made no move to catch them.

He nodded and turned from her abruptly, grabbed his gauntlet, his cloak off of the cloak rack and headed out the front door.


End file.
